Dragonball Zero: Trust No One
by Matt Ryan
Summary: The Z-Warriors who survived Kakarot's onslaught fight amongst themselves and must fight the people they've sworn to protect.


Dragonball Zero: Trust No One

Okay. Here's the dilly, yo. I'm just gonna fill you in on what's pertinent to this fic. It started out in "Dragonball Zero: Future Shock" with an evil being cloned from Goku's soul by the Gods for some mysterious reason. It attacked Earth and ended up killing off many of the Z-Warriors. Also, he destroyed Dende and New Namek, so the Dragonballs were gone in all their forms. Goku sacrificed himself due to the strategy of a boy named Virudo, the son of Future Trunks and that future's version of Videl.

In the last fic, "Dragonball Zero: Eternal Struggle", the dead heroes battled some renegade demons who seemed to be planning an attack on King Yemma. Their supposed leader was Garlic, the father of Garlic, Jr. The dead warriors won, although suffering the loss of Broly and Yajirobe. They then came in contact with Goku, who was nowhere to be found. He led them into a new dimension which is where we left off.

Now this story takes place at the exact moment the last story began and everything is happening simultaneously.

By the way, all that stuff about me owning Dragonball Z. It's true. I threatened Toriyama and he gave it to me free. BWAHAHA! Anywho, here's the story:

Chapter One: Trouble Brewing

Time had passed. There had been no advances in the search to create new Dragonballs. Piccolo's powers had been focused entirely into his ki, and he was no longer able to create Dragonballs. The Black Star Dragonballs could be anywhere and without Bulma to create another Dragon Radar (Her's was destroyed when she died), it was pointless to look. And so things went on like that.

Krillin sat alone on his bed, looking at the picture of his wife whom he loved so much. Android 18 was so beautiful. And so was Marron. His daughter, whom he loved as well. Krillin smiled and pulled over another picture, one of him and Goku standing together. It just so happened the only other people in the picture was Master Roshi, Bulma, Yamcha, and Chaozu. Krillin wiped a tear from his eye.

"I didn't think it'd be me." he said to himself, "Of all of them, I was the one who outlived 'em all. I wish it was like the good ol' days, where I could spar with Goku without getting knocked out of the time zone. Where we would all search for the Dragonballs in order to make wishes beyond our wildest dreams. Heh. Things were so different back then. So much simpler. No Super Saiyans. No Friezas. No Cells. No Buus. Just us." Krillin thumbed the top of his bald head head in the picture and then ran his fingers through the comb-over that was his hair now. He was getting old.

Krillin sniffed and put the pictures away. He walked over to his kitchen and fixed a small bologna and cheese sandwich. He ate it and began to train in the holo-room Dr. Briefs had made for him shortly after the defeat of Super Cell. He turned it on and the projection created two images. One of Goku as an adult, and one of him as a child.

"Heh." Krillin said, folding his arms, yet still teary eyed, "Fight." The two holographic Goku's fought, delivering blows left and right. Krillin soon lost track of them.

"Slow." he said. He saw them above him, through the sunroof 18 had bought for them. Krillin looked in awe as both of them charged up the same attack.

"RYU KEN!"

"RYU KEN!"

Both Goku's unleashed the devastating Dragon Fist attack simultaneously. When the two attacks connected, Krillin quickly dodged the shrapnel that came from the Holo-Pod exploding.

"Odd." he said to himself. Krillin lay back on his bed and pulled out a razor and some cream. He began to shave his head. It was time to get back to basics.

Elsewhere, at Sky Palace, four people were rebuilding the place after the destruction caused by Kakarot. Piccolo and Tien grabbed a gigantic pillar and put it back in it's place. Videl and Upuar were replanting the gardens Mr. Popo had so dillegently planted ages ago. Videl smiled when Virudo landed near the edge of Sky Palace.

"Virudo!" she said, smiling, "How are you doing?"

"Fine." he replied, "I've been staying at Capsule Corp. It's been a bit hectic lately. My da-... Trunks sent everyone on vacation after the whole thing with my-... Bulma getting killed. And then leaving only old Dr. Briefs and his wife to take care of Ox King. Oolong's been trying to help as much as possible, and Turtle's been keeping everyone in high spirits, but Chi-Chi is just too sad. It's kinda depressing."

Videl put her arm around him. Virudo smiled back and slumped down on a small boulder. Upuar suddenly touched Virudo's back. He felt a warmth come over him.

"That's my powers working." she said, "I control positive energies. Don't you feel less depressed now?" Virudo nodded. Upuar smiled and pecked him on the cheek. Still, she was feeling bad too. Yamcha, the man she had fallen in love with after everything they had been through, was dead. She still managed to smile, however, and walked over to where Tien and Piccolo were working.

Tien sat down and wiped the sweat from his brow. He and Piccolo hadn't stopped working since the day after the battle. He was tired, but it's not like he had anything else to do. Chaozu was gone, this time probably for good, and Tien could do nothing about it. He was the protector of Prince Chaozu and now his job was done. Upuar sat down next to the three-eyed warrior.

"You okay, hon?" she asked, leaning her head against his.

"Yeah." he said, looking away, "Y'know, I never thought everything would end up like this. I mean, me and Chaozu and Goku and Yamcha and Master Roshi and Krillin. The Earth's Special Forces. Now what do we have? Me and Krillin. That's it. Everything's over. My life. My purpose. But still, if there is nothing I have left, it's the fight. If another threat ever arises, we'll be there to combat it. Me, you, Krillin, Piccolo, Videl, Gohan, Trunks, and I guess Virudo. Still, nothing will ever be the same."

"You don't have anyone to return to?" she asked. Tien paused.

"I have a wife." he smiled, "But she's, well, odd. You met her as Puar, remember? Her name's Lunch. Of course, the whole thing with her schizophrenic antics and the threat of being shot in the head in my sleep if she decides to sneeze at night, well, that's too risky. So, back when we left to go fight Nappa and Vegeta, I told her, "Lunch, I want you to go find yourself. Find the root of your problem. Then I want you to go and get it cured." I left.

"After I died and got wished back, I returned to our cabin with Chaozu in tow. She was nowhere to be found. She had no real ki, so I couldn't find her. She was lost to me. For all I know, she could've sneezed once, and then never sneezed again. She could be in prison for some murder. It's sad, really. You fall in love with someone, but you realize it can never work because of their problems. Heh. I wish I knew where she was, though. It would be nice, like you said, to have someone to return to." Upuar smiled at him and stood up. She patted him on the back and flew over to where Piccolo was standing.

"Get away from me, Upuar." he said, "I've got too much work to do."

"Maybe I can help." she retorted, "I'm just as strong, if not stronger than you, so don't try and tell me what to do." Piccolo smiled a bit and continued working wihout saying a word.

At Mr. Satan's dojo, Gohan punched a special punching bag Dr. Briefs had made for Goku long ago. Gohan had been thinking of the past few weeks' events. The death of all his friends. The heart attack of his grandfather. And then the appearance of a person who was supposedly the son of Videl and Trunks. That was a bit much for Gohan to take.

He had never been that close to Trunks, not like Goten. Gohan really had just always been the friendliest one towards everybody, but for some reason, way back there in his deepest, darkest thoughts, he just couldn't stand it. If Gohan was ever protective of one thing, it was his wife. And suddenly this boy shows up from some alternate timeline and says that he's the son of his wife and Trunks.

Gohan paused for a second and let things seep in. Gohan thought to himself.

'Dad's dead. Bulma's dead. Pan's dead. Grampa's dying. Virudo. Trunks... Trunks... Trunks..." Gohan flared up to Super Saiyan mode and punched the bag, sending it through the far wall, with the force of a sonic boom. Gohan fell to his knees and began to talk to himself.

"It's all too much." he said, "It's all his fault. It's all because of Trunks. If it wasn't for him, I probably could've saved the world from Cell without my Dad dying. If it wasn't for him adding his powers to Buu's, I could've fused with my dad and destroyed him. Trunks let Baby escape; he almost caused the world's destruction. Trunks was no help at all when Super Cell came around. He was nothing against Upuar. He was nothing against Kakarot. And now he's against me."

Gohan grabbed his head as he went Super Saiyan Level Two. "Hmm. I bet Trunks thinks that's the future, huh? That's what's going to happen? Well, I'll make sure he never gets the chance." With a scream of rage, Gohan flew out the window.

At that exact same moment, Mr. Satan walked down from the upper floor.

"You alright, Gohan?" he asked. Mr. Satan looked down and saw the broken punching bag. He shrugged his shoulders and walked back up to his room.

At Capsule Corp., Trunks walked into Ox King's room. Chi-Chi was asleep in her bedside chair, with Turtle in her lap. Oolong was in the floor, also asleep.

"Well," Trunks said to himself, "I hate this part. I can't wake her up to tell her the bad news. I'll let her sleep." Trunks smiled and walked out the door.

He walked into the kitchen where Dr. and Mrs. Briefs were having breakfast.

"Hello, Trunks!" smiled Dr. Briefs. Trunks petted Kitty and sat down. "What seems to be the trouble, lad?" asked Dr. Briefs.

"Well," said Trunks, "It's about Chi-Chi. I ran some more tests on Ox King and I found out what's wrong with him. His heart attack was not the cause of stress or his obesity, but rather it was the fact that he has contracted the Heart Virus Goku had at one time. I know, it's weird, but the thing is, I'm afraid any number of us may have the disease too. So, I'm gonna run tests on everybody. I'll do it first thing in the morning." Trunks smiled and kissed his Grandma before going outside.

"The thing is," he said to himself, "Ox King's case is too far along to be cured. I don' want to have to tell Chi-Chi. It never gets any easier." Suddenly Trunks saw a figure descend from the sky. It was Gohan.

"Hiya Gohan!" said Trunks, "Your Mom's inside. She's out like a light, though. Heh-heh. You can talk to my grandparents, though. I'm sure they... Gohan? Are you alright?" Gohan only stared at Trunks, stonefaced. Trunks let out a bit more nervous laughter and inched by Gohan.

"Hey Trunks."

Trunks turned around to be met with Gohan's fist in his face. Trunks fell to the ground. "Stay away from my wife." said Gohan, "And if you know what's good for you, stay away from me too." Gohan walked into the Capsule Corporation buliding.

"Huh?" asked Trunks, checking to see if he was bleeding.

In Satan City, a large crowd had gathered for a surprise Press Conference. On a large stage, a man in a suit with slicked back brown hair and sunglasses was speaking. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "My name is Quentin Bartholomew Beck III. As a fellow human, I always am ready to fight for my country, my planet, or my race. I can remember one such day, decades back, when I was a member of the armed forces. We were sent to stop a terror known only as a Saiyan. This large, bald behemoth rained down terror upon me and my squad, and we were all killed.

"Thankfully, due to some miracle of God, we were resurrected, but that is not my point. You see, the Saiyans never were defeated. They've been here all along, under our very noses! Oh yes! You remember what happened when they first landed? They obliterated North City! Then do you remember Cell? The Saiyans most likely created him, not barring the fact that he himself could be a Saiyan! So, I say, we, as humans, band together to stop this menace that has wormed it's way into our society. They could be teaching your child, or own the company that makes your automobile! They could be living next door to you, or taking you out on a date! Don't you see? We have to stop this threat immediately! And with all your help, I think we can!" The crowd erupted in a thunderous cheer.

At his house, Krillin watched the spectacle on TV. "Who's this guy?" he asked himself, "Oh well." He scanned the faces of the group behind Beck and saw a familiar one. She was wearing a suit with a skirt, and also had on a black hat and sunglasses. But her long, flowing blue hair gave her away.

"Marron?" Krillin asked himself.

Elsewhere, Tien was watching the same thing, but he had a different take on the situation.

"Well," he said, "This guy has some nasty little thoughts about us in his mind. Maybe I ought to go down there and persuade him differently." With that, Tien flew off.

From behing a pillar, Upuar watched him go.

Back at Capsule Corp., Gohan walked back out of the building after seeing his mother was asleep. When he got outside, he saw that Trunks was still there, still checking for blood. Gohan said nothing, but just walked right past him.

And then Turnks spoke, "Hey, Gohan..."

When Gohan turned around, he was the one getting punched, only this time Trunks had transformed into a Super Saiyan. Gohan flew into the street.

"An eye for an eye." said Trunks, "Bitch." Trunks spat on Gohan before returning inside the building.

Gohan smiled as he wiped the blood from his mouth. "An eye for an eye." he whispered, "An eye for an eye."

Back at Satan City, Beck was still preaching when Tien arrived at the scene.

"Mr. Beck," said Tien, "I'd like to speak to you, if you don't mind. But maybe we ought to not do this in public."

"Oh really?" Beck replied, suddenly he turned his attention towards the crowd once more, "People of Satan City, let me lead you on the right path! Look on this man! His name is Tenshinhan and he is an ally of those... aliens! He would kill us all at the drop of a hat if it would advance whatever horrible plot the Saiyans have cooked up."

"Okay." said Tien, looking away from Beck, "It's always the hard way." Tien suddenly screamed, letting loose a Solar Flare upon the crowd. He couldn't have them seeing him talking with, and if worst came to worst, beating on him, especially not the media. Tien advanced towards Beck, only to suddenly feel a pain in his back. Tien fell to the ground as Beck's cronies piled on him. Tien faded from consciousness.

At Sky Palace, Piccolo finished placing the final pillar. "Okay," he said, "Now all we have left to do is replace the roof, and everything will be alright. But for now, let's call it a day. Hey, where's Tien?"

"He left." said Upuar, who was eating the berries Mr. Popo had planted.

"...Where did he go?" asked Piccolo, getting a little restless.

"He saw something on TV and then, WHOOSH! He flew off!"

"Well, this can't be good." said Piccolo, "I don't sense his ki, which either means he's unconscious, dead, or he's hiding, and none of those can mean anything good. What station was he watching, Upuar?"

"SCTV."

"Of course. Satan City Television. That man has to be involved in everything, doesn't he?" Videl laughed as they all flew off towards Satan City.

Later, Tien awoke in a large room, surrounded by metal crates and piles of junk. He felt woosy and found that his hands were tied together by a rope. Tien looked up and saw Beck walk in, along with a woman.

"Where am I?" asked Tien.

"Irrelevant." snapped Beck, "All that matters is that you are in my hands now. You see, we expected you to come, Tenshinhan. Yes, we even know your full name. But that is also irrelevant, you see we calculated that of the remaining people in your little "Circle of Friends", you would be the most likely to interfere, if only because the others would pay me no bother. We were ready for you. We had a ray gun specificly tailored to knock out someone with a ki tuned to your exact frequency. Our sunglasses, specially made, protected us from your "Solar Flare". Heh. The wooziness you fell is the aphrodesiacs we used on you wearing off. Don't worry, you're strong. You'll probably only vomit once.

"But, ah yes, the point. You see, the room we are in is also specially made, in order to hide your ki from the outside, so your friends cannot find you. But of course, you could easily break those bonds and, since you no longer kill, call in Piccolo or Trunks to vaporize us. But that is why we have a trump card. Bring her in!"

Another lackey in a suit pushed in a woman who was wearing a bag over her head. Beck laughed as he removed it to reveal a beaten and battered Lunch.

"Lunch?!" Tien exclaimed, "What did you do to her!?"

"Nothing." Beck smiled, "Just a few simple punches and the fact that we've taken the liberty of removing all objects or ways to create circumstances where our friend here could sneeze. So, we want to ask you a... favor."

"What?" asked Tien.

"You see, our cause is against the Saiyans, the Nameks, and their ilk, but traitorous humans such as yourself are fine trophies as well. Plus, our plan is to take out the weaker fighters and then destroy the stronger ones. Which is why we need you to go out and get Krillin for us. Bring him here, and your wife will go free and unharmed."

Tien pasued for a second. He solemnly nodded and Lunch was led out of the room. Tien waited for the time when he would have to do the deed.

That's it for Dragonball Zero for now. Sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger, but this is all I have time for. I don't even have time to sepllchk. Okay, you know the drill. Visit my site at rpg/MATTSPAGE, and visit my incomplete Dragonball Z Themed Play-By-Email RPG at dbz/virudodbzrpg. Also, feel free to E-Mail me at superguymatt , as I hope Hotmail doesn't delete my account since I won't be able to delete the billions of Spam mail that comes through there. Oh well. If I don't see ya, have a great Summer!

BOOYA! - Matt Ryan


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